Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

An attempt at lighting up their lives

Staff reporter

Training programme for visually-impaired women Training programme for visually-impaired women

NEW BEGINNING: Deputy Mayor N. Karthik (right) distributes equipment to the visually-challenged at the inauguration of industrial unit and training programme in coir weaving organised by Coir Board and National Federation of the Blind in the city on Sunday. - PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

COIMBATORE: The National Federation of the Blind, Tamil Nadu West, along with the regional office of the Coir Board inaugurated a training programme for visually-impaired women here on Sunday.

The 20-day training programme provided by personnel from the Coir Board will be attended by 10 visually-impaired women.

Manufacturing

The ultimate aim of the programme is to make these women self-sufficient, said P. Manoharan, Project Director, the National Federation of the Blind India South.

They would be trained to make coir ropes and mats. Manufacturing and marketing the finished products were the federation's final goal, he added.

Job-oriented skills

The women would also be given a stipend of Rs.1,000 per month, he added.

T. Sadasivam, President of the Federation, said finding employment with such a disability was a challenge. There was a need to train them with such job-oriented skills so that they were able to support themselves and their families. The federation had over 3,000 members all over the country and 60 offices. The Tamil Nadu West region comprised Coimbatore, Erode and Udhagamandalam.

The federation had been involved in rehabilitation programmes for people with visual impairment, which included education, counselling and guidance. It had also started a `Braille Library' to encourage the habit of reading among the visually impaired and create an interest among them to remain up-to-date.

However, one of the greatest challenges faced by people with visual impairment today was the over dependence on technology, Mr. Manoharan said. Every area of activity had become dominated by technology, which was not disabled-friendly.

Challenges

Unlike older days, manual labour was replaced by technology, which made it even more difficult for such people to find employment. Visually impaired people should also be empowered with the knowledge of technology so that they could find suitable employment, he added.

Deputy Mayor, N.Karthick, was the chief guest. He distributed the equipment to the participants.

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